Heather Mitchell is the Founder and Artistic Director of FIVE LINES. She gives her voice as an alto choir member and creates all the visual and scholarly content for the organization. Heather is also the Artistic Director of the Hopewell Valley Chorus, an alto for the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, conductor of the Montclair Community Choir, and most recently served as Conductor-in-Residence at Manhattan Concert Productions. As a choral singer, she has performed with many professional groups all over the country including the Manhattan Chorale, True Concord, and a chamber octet for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. 

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In the spirit of FIVE LINES, she made her Carnegie Hall debut, conducting the vastly unfamiliar Schumann Requiem, Op. 148 with the Masterwork Festival Chorus and the New York City Chamber Orchestra. 

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Heather is the author of “A Reconsideration of the Performance of the Chorales in J.S. Bach’s Passio secundum Johannem, BWV 245,” a featured article in the Choral Journal, published by the American Choral Directors Association. It focuses on the proper performance practice of Bach’s chorales, even beyond those in the St. John Passion.​

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In 2006, Heather earned the Emerging Conductor Award from the Minnesota Chorale and has received Outstanding Conductor and Outstanding Achievement in Choral Music awards. She has been sought out as a clinician and judge for many choral festivals including the Arizona Music Educators Association, All American Music Festival, and OrlandoFest. 

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She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral and orchestral conducting from the University of Arizona, a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Saint Cloud State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and fine art from Rollins College. A tiny selection of her work can be found here. 

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Outside of music, Heather is a professional photographer. You can view her portfolio here.